Perceptions and Knowledge of Public Towards Emerging Human Monkeypox in Yemen: A Cross-Sectional Study [Letter]

Dear editor

We were very impressed with the article entitled “Perceptions and Knowledge of Public Towards Emerging Human Monkeypox in Yemen: A Cross-Sectional Study”. The results of this research have advantages, namely: 1) The first study to evaluate community knowledge and perception of mpox disease in Yemen, 2) Highlights the need for targeted educational campaigns to improve community understanding of mpox disease, 3) The results of this study can be used to formulate policies and intervention strategies aimed at preventing and managing infectious diseases.¹

However, we have also discovered several limitations that need to be corrected in the future, namely: 1) Sampling approaches that use social media may result in uneven participation and tend to favor those with internet access, 2) Online surveys tend to favor young people living in Sana’a, so may not be representative of the entire Yemeni population, 3) Prone to desirability bias, where participants may answer questions based on what they believe others expect, 4) Does not provide information on how people’s knowledge and perceptions may influence preventive actions taken in the face of mpox disease.

To obtain better results, we recommend that further research be carried out by 1) Direct surveys in the field to obtain data from populations who do not have internet access or do not use social media, 2) Involve respondents from various social and demographic backgrounds to get a more comprehensive picture of people’s knowledge and perceptions of mpox, 3) Deepen the analysis of how people’s knowledge and perceptions can affect preventive actions taken in the face of mpox disease,² 4) Include aspects of mental and psychological health related to people’s knowledge and perceptions of emerging infectious diseases.³